Karl Strauss Announces Winner of Annual Pro-Am Competition

San Diego, CA – Karl Strauss Brewing Company is excited to announce the winner of its annual Pro-Am (Professional-Amateur) competition. Each year, the San Diego craft beer pioneer invites homebrewers to submit a beer for the opportunity to brew the winning recipe on a commercial scale at one of KARL’s satellite breweries and have that brew entered into the Great American Beer Festival’s Pro-Am contest.

“We have incredible brewers in this city! Our homebrewing community is one the best in the country and has helped propel the craft beer scene in San Diego to where it is today. We do this competition to give back to homebrewers, who share our passion to push the envelope on what handcrafted beer can be,” said Paul Segura, Karl Strauss Brewing Company brewmaster.

The gold medal winning brew was “Black Nose,” a smoked porter by Escondido resident, Jim McCaskey, which was a unanimous favorite by the judging panel. “The ‘Black Nose’ Porter was a very complex beer, yet had a great harmony of rich flavors of smoked malt, coffee and vanilla,” said Segura.

Rounding out the top three homebrews, Jacob and Roy Bauch’s “Apricot Saison Trois” Belgian Fruit Beer took second place and Tim Taylor’s “Albino Jackrabbit” American-Style Pale Ale a close third. Interestingly, Tim Taylor has placed in the top three in KARL’s Pro-Am competition for the last three years in a row.

In total, 55 homebrewer submissions were evaluated by a trained panel, including guest judges from the San Diego Brewers Guild, San Diego’s craft beer media, and KARL’s own head brewers, brewmaster and certified cicerones.

“Black Nose” will be brewed on a commercial scale this July at KARL’s downtown brewery. Local residents will have the opportunity to taste this dynamic smoked porter when it’s on tap in August at KARL’s downtown brewery and at the company’s Tasting Room and Beer Garden in Pacific Beach.

For more information about KARL’s Pro-Am competition and recipes for the top three winning beers, visitwww.karlstrauss.com.

Winners:

1st—Jim McCaskey: “Black Nose” – Smoked Porter

2nd— Jacob & Roy Bauch “Apricot Saison Trois” – Belgian Fruit Beer

3rd— Tim Taylor “Albino Jackrabbit” – American-Style Pale Ale

About Karl Strauss Brewing Company

Karl Strauss Brewing Company has pioneered the San Diego beer scene since 1989 with innovative beer releases like Mosaic Session Ale, Big Barrel IIPA, and Wreck Alley Imperial Stout. The brewery has won 67 medals over the past five years and its Red Trolley Ale is one of the most award-winning beers in the world. The company is currently ranked #45 on the list of the country’s top craft breweries with sole distribution in California. For more information visit www.karlstrauss.com or call the brewery at (858) 273-2739. Share it. Cheers.